Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the research projects to be funded from the £19 million funding awarded to the Scottish Crop Research Institute on 10 September 2001.

Ross Finnie: The £1.9 million awarded to the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) will fund the following eight new projects:

  Ecological management and biotechnology;

  Computational biology, and

  Functional analysis of novel genes from potato and barley.

  Development and application of metabolic profiling technologies to enhance the understanding of metabolic and developmental processes in plants.

  Enhancing food quality and nutritional value through multidisciplinary approaches which exploit genetic and molecular diversity.

  Sequence diversity and horizontal genomics (targeted gene discovery).

  Molecular plant diversity and germplasm resources.

  Parallel gene expression technologies supporting the discovery of plant and pathogen genes important to agriculture and biotechnology.

Air Services

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of subsidy allocated to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd was in the current financial year and whether it intends to increase this amount.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is providing funding of up to £16.2 million in the current financial year for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to support the airport infrastructure at its 10 airports. No additional funding has been announced.

Air Services

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) has produced a business plan and/or proposals to reduce landing charges in order to help to reduce air fares and to increase air travel to Scotland’s islands and, if so, whether it endorses such plans.

Lewis Macdonald: Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd prepares an annual budget and corporate plan which consider the company’s priorities for future years. HIAL will continue to maintain its airport charges at levels which reflect their commitment to the maintenance of the air network in the Highlands and Islands. The Scottish Executive endorses this approach.

Asylum Seekers

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the provision of English language support to asylum seekers and other groups who require assistance.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is committed to working with the further education colleges to ensure adequate support to those who require assistance. That includes both asylum seekers and those in other categories who are new to Scotland. I am pleased to announce that the Executive intends to provide new funding of £1.7 million in the current financial year, and in future financial years, to support a package of new measures which will strengthen the ability of the colleges to undertake mainly language work. That sum comprises £0.5 million to boost college provision specifically for asylum seekers, and a further £1.2 million for other groups. The total sum of £1.7 million will be channelled through the Scottish Further Education Funding Council.

  The package of measures will include the waiving of the residence and settlement criteria which until now have governed the ability of a college to claim funding and to reclaim the cost of waived fees; the provision of funding to allow colleges to provide books and support with travel; and a new discretion relating to asylum seekers which will allow colleges to approve continued studies beyond the level of basic courses.

  The decision of the Scottish Executive to provide £1.7 million in extra resources will ensure that existing budgets can continue to be used for their original purpose without detriment to Scottish students.

Compulsory Purchase

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements it is seeking in reviewing compulsory purchase powers and what its position is in relation to proposals for the establishment of a centrally-funded agency to support authorities in the exercise of compulsory purchase powers.

Lewis Macdonald: We have been participating in the review of the law and practice of compulsory purchase, compensation and related matters, aimed at making the whole process fairer, more efficient and more effective, which is led by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

  In due course we propose to consult on proposals for change in Scotland. These will take into account the recommendations of the review, the UK Government’s response to it and the research findings and recommendations recently published by the Scottish Executive.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17505 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 28 August 2001, when it will issue its submission to the energy review to the Cabinet Office and, if no exact date is known at this time, how it will inform MSPs when it has placed the submission in the Scottish Parliament information centre.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: An initial paper from the Executive was submitted to the energy review team on 13 September. It was also placed in the Parliament’s reference centre on that date (Bib. No. 16141). It is our intention to follow that up with a further input later in the autumn, once the outcomes of the studies we have commissioned into Scotland’s renewable resource and the electricity network are available to us.

European Convention on Human Rights

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals from the High, sheriff and district courts concerned devolved issues and were on grounds relating to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the last two years and this year to date.

Neil Davidson QC: The information requested is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

  An indication of the extent to which the terms of the ECHR have been relied upon by accused persons and appellants in all Scottish criminal courts since 20 May 1999, when the Lord Advocate became subject to section 57(2) of the Scotland Act 1998, is given by the available statistics showing the number of "devolution issues" (within the meaning of Schedule 6 of the Scotland Act 1998) which have been intimated to the Lord Advocate. Rules 40.1 et seq of the Act of Adjournal (Criminal Procedure Rules) 1996 as amended require written notice of intention to raise a devolution issue in any criminal proceedings in Scotland to be given to the Lord Advocate.

  Between 20 May 1999 and 31 December 1999, 164 devolution issues were intimated to the Lord Advocate. Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2000 the figure was 821 and from 1 January 2001 to date the number of devolution issues intimated to the Lord Advocate was 172.

  The total number of devolution issues intimated to the Lord Advocate from 20 May 1999 to date is 1,157, of which 60 (or 5.2 per cent) were decided against the Crown (where results are available).

  Since 2 October 2000 accused persons and appellants have been able, in terms of the Human Rights Act 1998, to rely upon convention rights arguments in criminal proceedings without any requirement to intimate their intention to the Lord Advocate. No statistics are available to indicate the number of cases in which convention rights arguments have been relied upon in this manner.

Exam Results

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of secondary schools exceeded their targets for attainment in school examinations in the most recent period for which information is available.

Mr Jack McConnell: Targets under the Raising Standards: Setting Targets initiative were set for 2001. The percentages of schools who had already exceeded these targets, as at 1999, the most recent year for which information is available, was as follows:

  


Level of Targets set for 2001 
  

% of schools who exceeded the targets set, 
  as at 1999* 
  



Standard Grade English (1 - 6) 
  

41 
  



Standard Grade Maths (1 - 6) 
  

38 
  



5+ Standard Grades (1-2) 
  

23 
  



5+ Standard Grades (1-4) 
  

23 
  



5+ Standard Grades (1 - 6) 
  

23 
  



3+ Higher Grades (A - C) 
  

17 
  



5+ Higher Grades (A - C) 
  

16 
  



  *Figures expressed as a three-year average for 1997-99 and are the latest available. Figures relate to publicly funded secondary schools.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to compensate farmers whose cattle went over 30 months of age during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and were consequently prevented from entering the food chain.

Ross Finnie: I appreciate the impact which the necessary foot-and-mouth disease restrictions have had on farming business and that, despite the efforts made to avoid feeding cattle being retained until they were over 30 months, this has been unavoidable in some instances. I have no provision to compensate such cases.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it now has on the circumstances and chain of infection which lead to the first case of foot-and-mouth disease recorded in Dumfries and Galloway and whether it will make this information public.

Ross Finnie: The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in Dumfries and Galloway was confirmed on 1 March on the farm run by C M Kirkpatrick, Nether Place, Dryfesdale, Lockerbie. The infection has been traced to animals brought on to his premises from Longtown market. Information about all foot-and-mouth disease cases is recorded on the DEFRA website to which there is a link from the Scottish Executive website.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further funding will be made available to local authorities to ensure that the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network guidelines on attention deficit and hyperkinetic disorders in children and young people are fully implemented.

Susan Deacon: Local authorities, health boards, education departments and social work services are already expected to provide services for children and young people with attention deficit and hyperkinetic disorders from the funding made available to them by the Executive. The Executive has no plans to provide further funding specifically dedicated to the implementation of the SIGN guideline, which is a matter for health boards in consultation with other authorities as appropriate.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many haemophiliacs have died in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many haemophiliacs have died of treatment-acquired illnesses in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of haemophiliacs currently have a treatment-acquired illness or disability.

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the potential appearance of treatment-acquired disease among haemophiliacs is monitored, given the experience gained from the appearance of hepatitis C as a treatment-acquired disease among haemophiliacs.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally. I have written to you separately giving contact details to allow you to obtain the information requested in this and your other questions (S1W-17746, S1W-17747 and S1W-17748) through the Scottish haemophilia directors.

Hospitals

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will make to the report by Dr Andrew Walker of the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, Hospital Acquired Infection – What is the cost in Scotland?  and what further action it plans to take.

Susan Deacon: Measures are already in hand to tackle health care associated infection in Scotland. NHS Trusts must ensure that adequate infection control arrangements, based on Health Department guidance, are in place. At my request the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland is introducing new standards for infection control and cleaning services. Compliance will be monitored and verified. The new national surveillance system which I have announced will provide more reliable information on the incidence of health care associated infection.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the increase in the number of appeals sent to the High Court Judiciary, as highlighted in the Criminal Appeal Statistics, Scotland, 2000 .

Neil Davidson QC: The most recent issue of Criminal Appeal Statistics, Scotland was published on 22 August 2001. The statistics relate to appeals against conviction, sentence or acquittal concluded in the High Court of Justiciary sitting in its appellate capacity during the year 2000.

  The statistics indicate that the overall total of such cases concluded during 2000 was in fact 2 per cent lower than the total for 1999.

  It is open to any person convicted of a criminal offence in the district, sheriff or High Court to appeal to the High Court sitting in its appellate capacity against conviction alone, sentence alone or against both conviction and sentence. It is also open to the Crown to appeal against acquittal or against sentence in very limited circumstances.

  Crown appeals are comparatively rare. Defence appeals are far more common and are initiated on the basis of advice tendered to convicted persons by their legal representatives as to the prospects of a successful appeal. Such advice in any given case will take into account the whole circumstances of the case so far as relevant and the applicable law.

  One area in which there was an increase in appeal business between 1999 and 2000 concerned persons previously convicted of murder in the High Court and sentenced to life imprisonment who, following a decision of the High Court issued on 29 November 1996 in the case of Elliott v HM Advocate, appealed with a view to having the effective commencement date of such sentences "backdated" to the date on which they were first remanded in custody to await trial. The number of such appeals dealt with during 2000 was over 90, as compared with 21 during the previous year.

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the relatives of owner-occupiers of farms and crofts preserve their rights to purchase, which currently prevail under the Udal law system, in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill as drafted.

Mr Jim Wallace: Section 52 of the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, which relates to the community right to buy, exempts family transfers from the provisions of the Bill. Similarly, section 76, which relates to the crofting community right to buy, exempts crofts worked by their owners or members of the owners’ families. The Bill does not therefore affect any extant provisions of Udal law in these areas.

Landfill Tax

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to the letter of 10 August 2001 from the Director of Transport and Environmental Standards of Scottish BORDERs Council asking it to make representations to Her Majesty’s Treasury regarding an exemption from the landfill tax for the council in respect of waste paper and cardboard, given the potential implications of the tax for the council’s budget in the context of the current situation in the waste paper and cardboard recycling markets.

Rhona Brankin: I replied to the letter from Scottish BORDERs Council on 5 September 2001 advising that the Scottish Executive would not be prepared to make representations to Her Majesty’s Treasury on its behalf as requested.

Law

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received on whether Udal law takes precedence over Scottish Parliament legislation in Orkney and Shetland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The question is ultimately a matter for the courts to determine. Although there is no specific reference to Udal law in the Scotland Act 1998, we understand that, insofar as extant Udal law in Orkney and Shetland relates to devolved matters, by virtue of that Act legislation introduced by the Scottish Parliament would take precedence over Udal law.

Law

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will specify any laws applicable to Orkney and Shetland which are based on those from the old Norwegian/Scandinavian empire.

Mr Jim Wallace: Orkney and Shetland’s ancient legal heritage, which is distinct from that of the rest of Scotland, continues to exist in a number of areas. These are linked to the ancient system of Udal land ownership, the chief feature of which is that grants of land do not emanate from the Crown as feudal superior.

  Another distinguishing feature of this system is that the foreshore in Orkney and Shetland is treated in the same way as land above high water mark across the rest of Scotland. Consequently, it is possible for Udal titles to land to include the foreshore as property.

Local Government Finance

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16947 by Angus MacKay on 8 August 2001, how much of the increase in its grant to Aberdeenshire Council in 2001-02 was ring-fenced for particular purposes.

Peter Peacock: Of Aberdeenshire Council’s total increase in grant of £18.1 million (8.3 per cent), £3 million has been provided through ring-fenced specific grants.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been received in each health board area for spending on mental health services since May 1999.

Susan Deacon: Since 1999-2000 health funding has increased from £4.9 billion to £5.9 billion in the current year and is due to rise to £6.9 billion in 2003-04. Health boards are given a unified budget to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet local and national priorities including mental health services.

NHS Staff

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle abuse against health workers.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Health Plan makes it clear that we are committed to providing a safe working environment for NHS staff. Each trust is already required to implement policies based on risk assessment, aimed at reducing violent incidents in the workplace. To assist NHS employers, Dignity at Work: Eliminating Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace guidance was published in February this year and work has begun on further guidance covering health at work which will include personal safety and management of violence and aggression.

  To help GPs, regulations were introduced in July last year, which enable boards and trusts to work with GPs to ensure that treatment to a potentially violent patient is provided at appropriate premises. Guidance is now currently being developed for GPs about how to deal with violent patients.

NHS Waiting Times

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take in relation to any delays in seeing a consultant being experienced by hip replacement patients in Glasgow.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive set out our commitment to work with NHSScotland to reduce waiting times through increased investment and improved working practices and to ensure that this is a priority for local NHS boards.

  NHS Greater Glasgow is currently working to identify additional resources to develop further and improve orthopaedic services across the city.

Planning

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are made available to assist community groups who are seeking to respond to planning applications.

Lewis Macdonald: Local authorities have general powers to assist community councils with funding and administrative support, although there is no statutory obligation on them to do so. Information is not held centrally on the extent to which that support is provided. The charity planning aid for Scotland also offers advice and support on planning issues to individuals, community councils, tenants’ associations, and voluntary groups.

Planning

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations it has received about strategic planning arrangements in Fife.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has received 15 written representations about strategic planning arrangements in Fife, including letters from three MSPs, one MP and four community councils.

  All these letters are available for viewing in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Prison Service

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom the Scottish Prison Service is accountable

Mr Jim Wallace: As an agency of the Scottish Executive it is responsible to me.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its contractual arrangements with Premier Prison Service with regard to the running of HM Prison Kilmarnock in light of HM chief inspector of prisons for Scotland’s report for 2000-01.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive sees no need to do so.

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most up to date figures available for staff turnover are, listed by staff category, for each local prison establishment and the Scottish Prison Service as a whole.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The readily available information is as follows:

  Total SPS staff turnover for Period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 by pay band was:

  


Pay Band 
  

A 
  

B 
  

C 
  

C+ 
  

D 
  

D+ 
  

E 
  

E+ 
  

F 
  

F+ 
  

G 
  



% 
  

9.90 
  

19.07 
  

12.09 
  

12.08 
  

24.33 
  

1.62 
  

5.43 
  

0.22 
  

6.02 
  

1.23 
  

9.02 
  



  Percentage turnover is based on voluntary resignation: it does not include retiring employees.

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of inmates occupying each local prison establishment has been for each of the last three years, and for each month so far this year, indicating in each case in both numerical and percentage terms the variance in relation to each prison’s recommended capacity.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not available in the form requested. However, details of the average number of prisoners in each prison is published annually in the Scottish Executive statistical bulletins which are available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. numbers 11179, 11180, and 15640). The average design capacity for the last three financial years for each local prison is detailed in the table.

  

 

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



Aberdeen 
  

157 
  

163 
  

163 
  



Barlinnie 
  

926 
  

943 
  

943 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

217 
  

217 
  

219 
  



Dumfries 
  

150 
  

150 
  

150 
  



Edinburgh 
  

543 
  

620 
  

597 
  



Greenock 
  

233 
  

238 
  

243 
  



Inverness 
  

107 
  

108 
  

108 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

0 
  

500 
  

532 
  



Perth 
  

527 
  

526 
  

550

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits to each local prison establishment HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has made in each of the last three years and how much time he or his officials have spent at each prison over the same period.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are nine local prisons in Scotland – Aberdeen, Barlinnie, Cornton Vale, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Greenock, Inverness, Kilmarnock and Perth.

  Each of Scotland’s 17 prisons currently receives a full, formal inspection on a cyclical basis, every three-and-a-half to four years. Full inspections take between a week and a fortnight depending on size and complexity of the establishment, during which all aspects of the establishment are examined from the point of view of safety, decency, and the establishment’s contribution to crime prevention.

  Full inspection reports are followed up in subsequent years by intermediate inspections. The Inspectorate also undertakes occasional studies on a theme common to all or several penal establishments. The most recent study Punishment First – Verdict Later?, a review of conditions for remand prisoners at the end of the 20th century involved visits to all prisons holding remand prisoners but is not included in the figures given below. Similarly, inspectorate time spent in assessing the establishments’ readiness for Y2K has not been included.

  Visits to Local Prisons August 1998 – August 2001

  


Establishment 
  

HMCIP 
  

Inspectors 
  

Total 
  



Aberdeen 
  

9 
  

37 
  

46 
  



Barlinnie 
  

8 
  

40 
  

48 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

7 
  

35 
  

42 
  



Dumfries 
  

8 
  

38 
  

46 
  



Edinburgh 
  

9 
  

44 
  

53 
  



Greenock 
  

9 
  

49 
  

58 
  



Inverness 
  

5 
  

20 
  

25 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

9 
  

73 
  

82 
  



Perth 
  

6 
  

14 
  

20 
  



Total 
  

70 
  

350 
  

420

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service has made to each local prison establishment since his appointment.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is not readily available and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the daily average number of prisoners admitted to each local prison establishment has been for each month this year and for each of the last three years also expressed in per capita terms in relation to the population served by that prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not available in the form requested. However, details of the average number of prisoners admitted to Scottish prisons is published annually in the Scottish Executive statistical bulletins which are available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. numbers 11179, 11180, and 15640).

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) residential, (b) operational and (c) other category prison officers based at each local and open prison have resigned from the Scottish Prison Service in each of the last 12 months and how many in each category have resigned from the Scottish Prison Service as a whole in each of the last three years and the three years prior to the introduction of staff structure review.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Information in the form requested is not readily available and could not be produced except at disproportionate cost.

  SPS staff turnover figures by pay band are available and are given in answer to question S1W-17720.

Recycling

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has put in place any new environmental strategies designed to help local authorities in relation to the recycling of waste paper and cardboard, given the current situation in the waste paper and cardboard recycling market.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive supports the waste and resources action programme which is a major programme (with over £40 million public funding) for England, Wales and Scotland aimed at creating and developing stable and efficient markets for recycled materials. One of its seven work programmes, launched in June 2001, is focused on developing the market for paper. This work aims to benefit local authority paper recycling schemes across the UK.

Road Accidents

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred during the period 1990 to 1995 on the Stirling to Lochearnhead stretch of the A84.

Sarah Boyack: The number of road accidents on the Stirling to Lochearnhead stretch of the A84 during the period 1990 to 1995 is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



1990 
  

2 
  

11 
  

17 
  

30 
  



1991 
  

1 
  

9 
  

14 
  

24 
  



1992 
  

2 
  

8 
  

19 
  

29 
  



1993 
  

2 
  

12 
  

19 
  

33 
  



1994 
  

2 
  

8 
  

19 
  

29 
  



1995 
  

1 
  

7 
  

16 
  

24 
  



Total 
  

10 
  

55 
  

104 
  

169

Road Accidents

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents have occurred during 2000 and so far during 2001 on the Stirling to Lochearnhead stretch of the A84.

Sarah Boyack: The number of road accidents on the Stirling to Lochearnhead stretch of the A84 during 2000 and so far in 2001 is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



2000 
  

1 
  

7 
  

17 
  

25 
  



2001 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

3 
  



Total 
  

1 
  

8 
  

19 
  

28

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its employees will be protected under TUPE regulations if further services are outsourced and whether these protections will match those which would apply to civil servants employed in England or Wales.

Angus MacKay: The TUPE Regulations implement obligations under European law and apply in the same way throughout Great Britain. Therefore, if the regulations apply they will have the same effect whether the affected civil servants work in Scotland, England or Wales. Whether the regulations apply in any particular case will depend upon the particular circumstances of that case.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have taken sick leave as a result of stress-related conditions, and how many sick days in total this represents, in each year since its inception and whether the reasons for these conditions have been identified.

Angus MacKay: In the 12-month period from 1 August 1999 to 31 July 2000, 82 officers took sick leave because of stress-related illnesses. These absences represented a loss of 3,402 working days.

  In the following 12-month period, 1 August 2000 to 31 July 2001, 73 officers took stress-related sick leave, representing a loss of 2,741.5 working days.

  As medical certificates do not always specify the cause of a stress-related illness, it is not possible to determine whether these absences result from problems at work or from personal or domestic difficulties.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what systems it has instituted to protect its staff against workplace bullying and, in particular, whether a confidential helpline is in place.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has a harassment policy in place. This includes bullying and applies to all staff working in the Executive. Well-established procedures exist for staff who feel that they are victims of workplace harassment or bullying to report and to have their case investigated. A confidential harassment helpline, staffed by trained councillors, is available to all staff.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of its security branch management staff have had complaints lodged against them by other staff since amalgamation and, if so, what the nature of the complaints have been, what grades the staff members who have had such complaints lodged against them are, how such complaints have been investigated and what the outcomes have been of the investigations into each of the complaints lodged.

Angus MacKay: The information requested is an internal management matter. Under the terms of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information , personnel records are exempt from the commitment to provide information.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is owed, in total, to its security branch staff in back pay and travel allowances, what grades of staff these monies are owed to, over what period of time these monies have accrued, why this position has arisen, when these monies are to be paid and what steps have been taken regarding future arrangements.

Angus MacKay: There is no money due to security staff in back pay. Management in the Scottish Executive became aware earlier this year that security staff had not been claiming payment for time spent travelling to work. Steps have been taken to ensure that security staff are fully aware that they are able to claim travel time and consequently they have been doing so since 1 April 2001. Management and the relevant trade union have recently issued joint guidance to security staff advising them how to make retrospective claims back to 1 April 1995. These claims will be paid as soon as possible after they have been received. Until such time as all of the claims are received, the total payments to be made will not be known.

Sustainable Development

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17464 by Ross Finnie on 5 September 2001, what specific training is given to its staff on the development of sustainability policies.

Ross Finnie: No specific training is given to civil servants on developing sustainability policies – any more than it is for most other areas of policy.

Tourism

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to attract visitors to the Western Isles, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands and whether specific regard is being given to any effect that the price of air travel to the islands may have on tourism.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The Western Isles, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands are marketed by their respective area tourist boards. They also benefit from the generic marketing carried out by VisitScotland and by the British Tourist Authority.

  The level of air fares on routes to the Western and North Isles is a commercial matter for airlines. The Scottish Executive is, however, committed to the maintenance of affordable links to islands communities. Our subsidy to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd results in lower costs to airlines than if the full economic costs were applied. In addition, the Glasgow-Barra air service and some inter-island routes within the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland are already subsidised by the Executive. These measures benefit tourists.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Railtrack, or any other body, to ensure that the Cairngorm funicular railway is subjected to safety checks on the condition of the rails; what safety checks have been made to date, and whether any relevant safety recommendations made in the report into the Kaprun funicular disaster in Austria will be implemented on the Cairngorm funicular railway prior to it opening for public use.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will direct Highlands and Islands Enterprise to publish the findings of the second economic appraisal of the Cairngorm funicular railway.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £9.4 million limit on the amount of public money which Highlands and Islands Enterprise is authorised to spend on the Cairngorm funicular railway is breached by Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s undertaking in the agreement under section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1987 (former section 50) that it may choose to dismantle and remove the funicular and buildings and reinstate the site and, if so, whether Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be directed to remove this undertaking from the agreement.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Any variation on the agreement under the terms of section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act as it applies to the Cairngorm funicular railway are a matter of discussion between Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Cairngorm Mountain (formerly Cairngorm Chairlift Company Ltd), Scottish Natural Heritage and Highland Council.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Highlands and Islands Enterprise estimates it would cost to carry out its undertaking under section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1987 (former section 50) to dismantle and remove the Cairngorm funicular railway and buildings and reinstate the site.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any compensation will be offered to the Glenshee and Lecht Ski companies if they are adversely affected by the operation of the Cairngorm funicular railway.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Each individual ski resort, operating under local environmental conditions, has unique facilities to offer discerning skiing visitors, and will be subject, as with most Scottish businesses, to competing under free market forces. Any future request for assistance by the Glenshee and Lecht Ski companies will be considered in the first instance by the local enterprise companies.

Water Authorities

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the date set by the water commissioner for the achievement of efficiency targets by the water authorities should be delayed pending the possible creation of a single water authority.

Ross Finnie: No. Efficiency savings are essential to ensure that future charge rises for the customer are minimised. The delivery of these efficiencies will be required irrespective of whether Scottish Water is created.